Otani Makes Generous Donation of 700 Million Won to Support LA Wildfire Relief

Ohtani Announces His Donation on Social Media
LA-Based Pro Teams and Celebrities Also Join in Giving

Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (30) of Major League Baseball (MLB) will donate $500,000 (approximately 730 million KRW) to support the victims of the LA wildfires.

On the 16th (local time), Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in Japanese, saying, "I sincerely thank the firefighters who continue to fight for us against the fires occurring in LA," and added, "I will donate $500,000 to help the firefighters, those staying in shelters, and animals in need of support."

Shohei Ohtani, a player active in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers. Photo by AP Yonhap News

He continued, "The LA Dodgers are collaborating with other sports teams to carry out support activities such as selling T-shirts," and added, "I would appreciate it if you could join us. I sincerely wish for a speedy recovery."

Earlier, on the 14th (Korean time), 12 local professional teams including the LA Dodgers and LA Angels announced that they would donate more than $8 million (11.7 billion KRW). This donation will support wildfire damage relief and firefighting activities, and provide $3 million (4.4 billion KRW) worth of goods to wildfire victims. The teams plan to produce T-shirts with "LA Strong" printed on them and use the sales proceeds for disaster relief.

Players have also made individual donations. On the 11th, Ohtani’s teammate Freddie Freeman donated $300,000, and Chris Taylor also launched a fundraising campaign through his foundation. Hollywood stars based in LA have also expressed their willingness to donate. Pop singer Beyonc? donated $2.5 million (approximately 3.64 billion KRW), and actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Paris Hilton also participated in the donations.

Meanwhile, the LA wildfires that started on the 7th have lasted over ten days and the flames have not yet been fully contained. At least 24 people have died, and about 92,000 people have evacuated their homes under evacuation orders. The damage amount is astronomical. Major U.S. financial firm Wells Fargo estimates the loss at $30 billion (43.85 trillion KRW), and major investment bank Goldman Sachs also estimates insurance industry losses between $10 billion and $30 billion. Considering uninsured home losses, the total damage is expected to reach $40 billion (58.46 trillion KRW).